M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

Ahaz Rules Judah

16 In the seventeenth year of Pekah the son of Remaliah, Ahaz the son of Jotham began to rule as the king of Judah. ² Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king. And he ruled for sixteen years in Jerusalem. He did not do what was right in the eyes of the Lord his God, as his father David had done. ³ But he walked in the way of the kings of Israel. He even gave his sons as a burnt gift. This was very sinful and was done by the nations which the Lord had driven out from the people of Israel. ⁴ And Ahaz gave gifts in worship and burned special perfume on the high places, on the hills, and under every green tree.

⁵ Then King Rezin of Syria and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, came up to Jerusalem to fight a war. Their armies closed in around Ahaz, but they could not win the battle against him. ⁶ At that time King Rezin of Syria took back Elath for Syria. And he drove all the men of Judah out of Elath. The Syrians came to Elath, and have lived there to this day.

⁷ So Ahaz sent men with news to King Tiglath-pileser of Assyria, saying, “I am your servant and your son. Come up and save me from the king of Syria and the king of Israel. They are fighting against me.” ⁸ And Ahaz took the silver and gold from the house of the Lord and the storerooms of the king’s house, and sent a gift to the king of Assyria. ⁹ So the king of Assyria listened to him and went up against Damascus. He took it in battle, and took its people away against their will to Kir. And he put Rezin to death.

¹⁰ King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet King Tiglath-pileser of Assyria. He saw the altar at Damascus. And King Ahaz sent to Urijah the religious leader the plans of the altar and a small object made to look just like it. ¹¹ So Urijah the religious leader built an altar, following all the plans King Ahaz had sent from Damascus. Urijah made it before King Ahaz came from Damascus. ¹² When the king came from Damascus, he saw the altar and went up to it. ¹³ There he burned his burnt gift and his grain gift. He poured his drink gift and put the blood of his peace gift on the altar. ¹⁴ He took the brass altar which was before the Lord in front of the house, between his altar and the Lord’s house, and he put it on the north side of his altar. ¹⁵ Then King Ahaz told Urijah the religious leader, “Upon the large altar, give the morning burnt gift, the evening grain gift, and the king’s burnt gift and his grain gift. Give them with the burnt gifts of all the people of the land and their grain gifts and drink gifts. Put on it all the blood of the burnt gifts given in worship. But the brass altar will be for me to go to when I ask the Lord what should be done.” ¹⁶ Urijah the religious leader did all that King Ahaz told him.

¹⁷ Then King Ahaz cut off the pillars and took the water pots away from them. He took the big brass pool off of the brass bulls, and put it down on stone. ¹⁸ He took from the house of the Lord the covered way they had built in the house, and the king’s gate because of the king of Assyria. ¹⁹ Now the rest of the acts of Ahaz are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah. ²⁰ Ahaz died, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David. And his son Hezekiah ruled in his place.

Right Teaching

2 You must teach what is right and true. ² Older men are to be quiet and to be careful how they act. They are to be the boss over their own desires. Their faith and love are to stay strong and they are not to give up. ³ Teach older women to be quiet and to be careful how they act also. They are not to go around speaking bad things about others or things that are not true. They are not to be chained by strong drink. They should teach what is good.

⁴ Older women are to teach the young women to love their husbands and children. ⁵ They are to teach them to think before they act, to be pure, to be workers at home, to be kind, and to obey their own husbands. In this way, the Word of God is honored. ⁶ Also teach young men to be wise. ⁷ In all things show them how to live by your life and by right teaching. ⁸ You should be wise in what you say. Then the one who is against you will be ashamed and will not be able to say anything bad about you.

⁹ Those who are servants owned by someone must obey their owners and please them in everything. They must not argue. ¹⁰ They must not steal from their owners but prove they can be trusted in every way. In this way, their lives will honor the teaching of God Who saves us.

¹¹ God’s free gift of being saved is being given to everyone. ¹² We are taught to have nothing to do with that which is against God. We are to have nothing to do with the desires of this world. We are to be wise and to be right with God. We are to live God-like lives in this world. ¹³ We are to be looking for the great hope and the coming of our great God and the One Who saves, Christ Jesus. ¹⁴ He gave Himself for us. He did this by buying us with His blood and making us free from all sin. He gave Himself so His people could be clean and want to do good. ¹⁵ Teach all these things and give words of help. Show them if they are wrong. You have the right and the power to do this. Do not let anyone think little of you.

Israel Is Judged for Its Sin

9 Do not be happy, O Israel! Do not be glad like the nations! For you have sinned like a woman who sells the use of her body, turning away from your God. You have loved selling yourselves on every grain-floor. ² The grain-floor and the place where the grapes are crushed will not feed them. And they will not have enough new wine. ³ They will not stay in the Lord’s land, but Ephraim will return to Egypt. And in Assyria they will eat unclean food. ⁴ They will not pour out drink gifts of wine to the Lord. Their gifts of worship will not please Him. Their bread will be like the bread of those in sorrow. Everyone who eats it will be unclean, for their bread will be for themselves alone. It will not come into the house of the Lord. ⁵ What will you do on the days set to have a special supper for the Lord? ⁶ When trouble comes and the people try to get away, Egypt will gather them up. Memphis will bury them. Their riches of silver will be grown over by weeds, and thorns will be in their tents.

⁷ The days of punishment have come, the days when the people must pay for their sins. Let Israel know this. The man who tells what will happen in the future is a fool. The man who is led by the spirit is crazy. This is because of all your sin and anger. ⁸ Ephraim was meant to be a watchman who would speak for God. Yet there is a net in all his ways, and only anger in the house of his God. ⁹ They have gone deep into sin, as in the days of Gibeah. The Lord will remember their wrong-doing, and will punish their sins.

¹⁰ “I found Israel like grapes in the desert. I saw your fathers like the first-fruit on the fig tree in its first year. But they came to Baal-peor and gave themselves to that false god of shame. They became as sinful as the thing they loved. ¹¹ Ephraim’s greatness will fly away like a bird. There will be no more children born to them, and they will not be able to have children. ¹² Even if they raise children, I will take them away and not leave anyone alive. It will be bad for them when I leave them! ¹³ I have seen Ephraim planted in a good field like Tyre. But Ephraim will lead his children out to be killed.” ¹⁴ O Lord, what will You give them? Give them children who die before they are born, and make them not able to nurse their babies.

¹⁵ “Because of all their sin at Gilgal, I hated them there. Because of the sinful things they did, I will drive them out of My house. I will not love them any more. All their leaders would not obey Me. ¹⁶ Ephraim is destroyed. Their root is dried up and they will give no fruit. Even if they give birth, I will kill the children they love.” ¹⁷ My God will send them away because they have not listened to Him. And they will travel from nation to nation.

A Prayer for Help

126 It was like a dream when the Lord brought back to Zion those who had been held in another land. ² Then we laughed with our mouths, and we sang with our tongues. Then it was said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.” ³ The Lord has done great things for us and we are glad.

⁴ Bring back our people, O Lord, like the rivers in the South. ⁵ Those who plant with tears will gather fruit with songs of joy. ⁶ He who goes out crying as he carries his bag of seed will return with songs of joy as he brings much grain with him.

God Is Good to His People

127 Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders work for nothing. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the men who watch over it stay awake for nothing. ² You rise up early, and go to bed late, and work hard for your food, all for nothing. For the Lord gives to His loved ones even while they sleep.

³ See, children are a gift from the Lord. The children born to us are our special reward. ⁴ The children of a young man are like arrows in the hand of a soldier. ⁵ Happy is the man who has many of them. They will not be put to shame when they speak in the gate with those who hate them.

The Joy of Obeying

128 Happy are all who honor the Lord with fear, and who walk in His ways. ² For you will eat the fruit of your hands. You will be happy and it will be well with you. ³ Your wife will be like a vine with much fruit within your house. Your children will be like olive plants around your table. ⁴ This is the good that will come to the man who honors the Lord with fear.

⁵ May the Lord do good things for you from Zion. And may you see good come to Jerusalem all the days of your life. ⁶ Yes, may you see your children’s children. Peace be upon Israel.